Cuban Embargo: Stupid idea or failed policy?

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Wezil
Was the embargo against South Africa a bad thing?

Obviously there is not democratic opposition within Cuba to justify the comparison.

[Wezil]

Originally posted by Kidicious


Obviously there is not democratic opposition within Cuba to justify the comparison.

Huh?

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Wezil


Huh?

The people of Cuba are not opposed to their government. Add to that the fact that the government there is not dependent on the US, like the government of South Africa was dependent on the UK and others. No comparison.

[BeBMan]

Originally posted by Kidicious


Only if you are Kantian.

I'd say Kant would support trade as means to promote peace, and for the spread of ethic values (if he's right in that is debatable). He condemned the involvment of big trade companies in colonialism though.

[Kontiki]

The people love Kim Jong-il too.

[Wezil]

Originally posted by Kidicious


The people of Cuba are not opposed to their government.

Okay. I wasn't sure what your point was.

Some Cubans are opposed and are in jail others are opposed and have fled the country. I'm sure many others have decided that STFU is the best policy. Why doesn't the government call a free and fair vote and see what Cubans really think?

Add to that the fact that the government there is not dependent on the US, like the government of South Africa was dependent on the UK and others. No comparison.

The South African embargo worked b/c it was virtually universal. The same could not be said of Cuba. As a client state of the Soviets for years they always had their support and these days fat-assed Canadians and Spaniards lying on Cuban beaches brings in the money.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by BeBro


I'd say Kant would support trade as means to promote peace, and for the spread of ethic values (if he's right in that is debatable). He condemned the involvment of big trade companies in colonialism though.

Let me rephrase. You could justify the embargo with duty based ethical code.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Wezil
Okay. I wasn't sure what your point was.

Some Cubans are opposed and are in jail others are opposed and have fled the country. I'm sure many others have decided that STFU is the best policy.

There's a difference between opposed to the government and opposed to certain policies of the government. If people in canada were considered opposed to the government just because they opposed cetain policy you might think most of them were opposed to the government as well.

Why doesn't the government call a free and fair vote and see what Cubans really think?

They fought a revolution. Isn't that enough? The enemies are still very powerfull. As Castro has stated, "I stay in power because the US tries so hard to remove me"

The South African embargo worked b/c it was virtually universal. The same could not be said of Cuba. As a client state of the Soviets for years they always had their support and these days fat-assed Canadians and Spaniards lying on Cuban beaches brings in the money.

Good point. There is not much opposition to Cuba, just the hard line capitalists.

[chequita guevara]

Re: Cuban Embargo: Stupid idea or failed policy?

Why not both?

[Whoha]

I will say that Bush's Q&A session this morning was funny. In repsonse to one question, free trade is a panacea to all ills, and in the very next question, the Embargo must be maintained at all costs.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Wezil
Was the embargo against South Africa a bad thing?

The embargo against South Africa was called by the majority of South Africans themselves. The embargo against Cuba is retaliation for nationalizing American companies in Cuba based on their tax values, which they reported to the government themselves. It has never been about trying to make Cuba free (since they had no embargo against Batista or any of the myriad other dictatorships in Latin America). It is also a warning to all other Latin American countries what will happen to them should they decided to follow Cuba's example and try to break from from the American Empire.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Whoha
I will say that Bush's Q&A session this morning was funny. In repsonse to one question, free trade is a panacea to all ills, and in the very next question, the Embargo must be maintained at all costs.

Talking with Castro would help prop up the system, but talking to Hu Jintao helps bring freedom.

[SlowwHand]

Re: Cuban Embargo: Stupid idea or failed policy?

Originally posted by GePap
I am curious to find out if anyone in this site supports a continuation of the US embargo against Cuba, because to me an embargo that has failed to work for 46 years would seem to clearly be a failed policy.

Explain Cubans swimming for Florida.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Wezil
Some Cubans are opposed

Some Americans are opposed to our government. Embargo us.

and are in jail others are opposed

The U.S. has political prisoners and millions of economic prisoners, more than any country in the world. Clearly you must embargo us until we are free.

and have fled the country.

There are more than ten million Mexicans in the U.S. Clearly you must embargo Mexico.

Why doesn't the government call a free and fair vote and see what Cubans really think?

Cuba is a country under siege. Thousands of terrorist attacks have been carried out from the United States, including an invasion. You cannot have fee and fair elections if the country next door is trying to destroy you. The U.S. government spends many millions in many countries in order to interfere with their internal democracies.

In any event, Cuba is considerably more democratic than you know. Cubans, for example have the right to recall politicians they don't like, and they exercise this power fairly regularly. It may not be multiparty democracy, but the Cuban people have a fair amount of control over their government.

[chequita guevara]

Re: Re: Cuban Embargo: Stupid idea or failed policy?

Originally posted by SlowwHand


Explain Cubans swimming for Florida.

Explain Mexicans crossing the desert into Arizona.